Olive Oil Mayonnaise

2 egg yolks
3 tbsp (45 mls) lemon juice - fresh is always best
? tsp salt - I like to use sea saltPinch of white pepper
1 cup olive oil - I always prefer to use extra virgin. See Selecting Olive Oil for Recipes for more info.

Or, try this one using whole egg. I like to cook, but I really don?t like fussing around seperating eggs if I don't have to.

1 egg
1 tbsp (15 mls) lemon juice
? tsp ( 2 mls )
pich of pepper
1 cup olive oil

Using a whisk, stick blender, or regular blender - combine the egg, lemon juice and seasonings and mix until well blended. Mix at low speed if using a blender.

Add olive oil a little at a time or in a constant small stream. The ingredients will emulsify and thicken. Walla - mayonnaise!

Variations: Try adding these ingredients for a tasty mayo.

Herb Mayo - Add ? cup (60 mls) coarsely chopped herb of your choice just before adding the olive oil.

Garlic Mayo - Add 1-2 tsp (5 -10 mls) minced garlic after the mayo is blended.

Curry Mayo - Add 1-2 tsp (5-10 mls) curry powder after the mayo is blended.

A note about using raw eggs - I checked it out on the Wikipedia site and learned that the incidence of a salmonella contamination found in eggs is quite rare. About 1 in 30,000. The shell of an egg acts as a seal against bacteria, but if damaged, can fail. When using eggs raw, choose the freshest eggs possible. Check for any cracks or weaknesses on the shell. The larger end of an egg is where the air cell is. An older egg has a larger air cell and a good way to check for freshness is to put the egg in a container of water. A fresh egg will stay at the bottom while an old egg will float to the top.

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Olive Oil Shelf Life and Storage

It starts with the olives themselves. Green (unripe) olives have a higher vitamin e and polyphenol content. Vitamin e and polyphenols are anti-oxidants and since oxidization leads to rancidity, more antioxidants mean less susceptibility and a longer olive oil shelf life.

The length of time between harvest and pressing or crushing is also crucial. The olives should be kept cool and processed within 24 hours or they will start to ferment and oxidize.

The extraction process also plays a role in olive oil shelf life. Some techniques subject the crushed olives to more light, heat, and air. Some also add more water to the olive paste during the separation process, which washes away the water-soluble polyphenols.

There are brands that state the production date on the container, but many do not. Choose an olive oil that is no more than a year old or buy it from a store where you know the turn over is quick. Avoid bottles that have dusty tops and reach for the bottles on the lower shelves or at the back where there is less light. Fresh products are usually placed at the back or lower shelves. I follow this same rule when buying bread, milk, and many other items.

I love the idea of an olive oil of the month club. The product arrives in your home much sooner after harvest than it would have otherwise and you have the opportunity to try many different olive oils without searching all over town or the internet. If you don?t use enough to buy every month, you can opt for a seasonal delivery and receive a fresh supply every few months.

Finally, storing olive oil properly once you have it home will minimize deterioration and loss of quality. If you don?t use a lot of olive oil, buy it in smaller bottles. I do encourage you though, to use it in place of other fats whenever possible. Don?t add more fat to your diet by using olive oil, replace it instead.

Anyway, I buy 1 litre bottles and that lasts me about a month. It would be fine in a cool dark cupboard, but I pour it into smaller air tight bottles. I leave one in the cupboard for everyday use and the extra goes into the refrigerator.

Olive oil turns cloudy and solidifies when it?s stored in the fridge, but it doesn?t hurt the oil and it returns to normal once warmed up again. We eat salad greens with dinner four to five times a week, so we go through a fair bit of salad dressing. I mix up enough of my favourite simple dressing recipe and store it in a ceramic decanter in the fridge.

To sum up, olive oil shelf life is dependent on several variables. To help insure you?re getting the most out of your olive oil, keep the following in mind:

1. Buy fresh extra virgin olive oil.
2. Quality makes a big difference, spend as much as you can afford.
3. Choose opaque or dark coloured containers.
4. Purchase smaller amounts more often.
5. Store it properly once you have it home.

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Olive Oil and Good Cholesterol

Here?s how it works. There are two types of cholesterol. The first is HDL(high density lipoprotein) the good cholesterol because it helps clear your arteries. Then there?s LDL (low density lipoprotein) the bad cholesterol because it clogs your arteries.

Saturated fats like those found in meat and dairy products increase your bad cholesterol and decrease your good cholesterol.

Polyunsaturated fats found in vegetable oils such as corn or soy lower your bad cholesterol, but they also lower your good cholesterol.

Monounsaturated fats found in fish and olive oil don?t lower the good cholesterol, but lower the bad cholesterol. Perfect combination! Our bodies need fat, but we can choose healthy fats by eating foods like fish, olive oil, nuts, and avocados.

Finally, I can't call this page finished without addressing hydrogenated oil and trans-fats. Too much saturated fat and cholesterol is not healthy, but at least they?re natural and our bodies need them. Hydrogenated oils are full of unnatural trans-fats and in my opinion are the ones that are the most important and tricky to avoid. Please follow this link to my page about hydrogenated oil and trans-fats. You can?t afford not to educate yourself about this health hazard.

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Olive Oil Sun Protection

Japanese scientists found that applying Extra Virgin Olive Oil as an after-sun lotion slows tumor growth in mice as reported in New Scientist Magazine.

Olive oil sun protection is a misleading phrase. Olive oil doesn't protect against skin damage caused by the sun, but it does go to work repairing damaged skin and protecting against skin cancer.

Ultra violet rays as well as cigarette smoke, pollution and alcohol create free radicals that cause damage to our cells. Antioxidants such as vitamin E and polyphenols are abundant in olive oil and known to clean up or neutralize those free radicals.

Masamitsu and his colleagues from Kobe University School of Medicine gave hairless mice three UV sessions per week. Five minutes after each session, they applied either regular or extra virgin olive oil to the skin of the mice.

After 18 weeks, the mice that had no oil or regular olive oil were growing skin tumors. But, the mice that were treated with extra virgin olive oil took six more weeks to show any signs of tumors - the tumors were smaller, less frequent and there was less DNA damage to the skin cells.

I don't believe there is such a thing as a safe sunscreen. I learned from the folks at Terressential.com that there are companies out there that make sunscreens and call them organic, but they contain synthetic chemicals.

But what about natural sun blocking minerals like titanium dioxide and zinc oxide, aren't they safe?

The truth is both chemical sunscreens and physical sun blocks like zinc oxide create free radicals when exposed to sunlight. Those free radicals are what cause skin cancer. You did read that right. The sunscreens themselves cause free radicals when exposed to sunlight. So, you may as well have taken your chances with the sun itself causing that same damage.

According to their research, Terressentials concluded that sunscreen give us a false sense of security. They may prevent sunburns, but they do little or nothing to prevent skin cancer or aging of the skin caused by sunlight.

There is substantial evidence that there is an increase in cancer when sunscreen products are used.

You can't and shouldn't stay out of the sun at all times. We need some direct sunlight for our bodies to produce vitamin D. It is impossible to get enough vitamin D from food sources. Sunscreens block the rays that our skin needs to produce vitamin D and there has been a substantial rise in diseases related to its deficiency. The worst time to be out in the sun is between 11:00 am and 3:00 pm, so....

- Plan your outdoor activities for morning, late afternoon or evening.

- When you are in the sun during those hours, cover up with some light, loose clothing or stay in the shade as much as possible.

- Use olive oil and shea butter to feed your skin and keep those free radicals under control.

P.S. - I buy my shea butter at UnrefinedSheaButter.com. It's fresh, smooth, inexpensive and I love the mild nutty liquorice scent. I've paid $10.00 for a 4 oz container of unrefined shea butter that was grey, grainy and smelled terrible! The two products can't even be compared. Oh, and I can buy four times that amount here (1 pound) for less than $10.00.

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Hydrogenated Oil and Trans-Fats

Hydrogenated fats are found in many foods. That?s why I say it?s the most difficult fat to avoid, but it?s definitely the most important one to avoid. I used margarine for years and was totally oblivious to the fact that it was harmful to my health.

My motivating factor back then was price and it?s so much cheaper than butter. These days, I use olive oil whenever I can, mix it with butter, or just use butter. The thing is, hydrogenated fat (trans-fats or trans-fatty acids) is hidden in a lot of foods and if you?re not a label reader, you may be totally unaware of how much you?re consuming. If you read through the list of ingredients on a package, you may not see ?trans-fat? or ?trans-fatty acids? but you may see ?hydrogenated? or ?partially hydrogenated?.

New laws are requiring that the amount of trans-fatty acids be included in the nutrition facts on packaged foods, but be careful here. The USDA allows for a claim of "0 trans fat" if the serving size contains less than .5 grams. Fair enough, but check out the serving size. Some manufacturers will define a very small serving size in order to get away with making that claim. Tricky and underhanded if you ask me, but this is the sort of stuff the consumer is up against.

Trans-fats are found naturally in very small amounts in foods like pomegranates, cabbage, peas, meat, and milk, but these are beneficial to health. The concern is it?s use in processed pre-packaged foods including cookies, cakes, crackers, frozen foods, French fries, bread and cooking oils used in restaurants.

Research has linked trans-fats to an increase in coronary heart disease and infertility in women. Other studies show that trans-fats go straight to your middle, another risk factor for heart disease.

Nutritionists at Harvard estimate that replacing partially hydrogenated fats in the American diet with vegetable oils, would prevent at least 30,000 and possibly as many as 100,000 premature coronary deaths a year. That?s substantial and enough to make me think twice before I buy a box of snack crackers or use margarine in my favorite cookie recipe.

We lead busy lives, and many of us are just looking for simple, quick, and tasty foods. People trust that regulating authorities won?t allow dangerous ingredients or chemicals in consumer products, but they do and it?s up to us to be informed and aware so we can make wise and healthy decisions. Stay away from ?snack? and ?junk? foods and you?ll eliminate a lot of trans-fat. Not to mention sodium, preservatives, artificial colors, flavors, etc found in these foods. Is the convenience really worth the long term sacrifice?

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Roasted Asparagus

It uses less oil and it's quicker, cleaner and easier.

Place the asparagus spears in a single layer on the cookie sheet.

Spray or brush olive oil on the asparagus.

Sprinkle with salt and pepper. I like to mix sea salt and fresh peppercorns half and half in a little grinding mill and keep it right near the stove.

Roast in a 425 degree oven for 10 -15 minutes.

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